1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a winch drive, particularly for a boat or yacht.
2. Description of Related Art
Winches are commonly used on yachts or other boats for tensioning or pulling running rigg, usually a line wound around the drum of the winch. The winch is normally rotated manually, and a standard shaped socket is provided in the top of the winch into which the correspondingly shaped end of a handle is inserted. Rotation of the handle rotates the winch and tensions the line. Manually rotating the winch can be difficult work, particularly under certain conditions, eg with heavy load and/or in bad weather.
It is known to power some forms of winch by means of an electric motor situated below deck immediately under the winch. Such a motor takes up valuable under-deck space, and can be difficult to access for servicing.